Podiatry involves the assessment, diagnosis and treatment of foot and ankle conditions. There are several types of podiatry:
Biomechanics
Biomechanics looks at how muscles, bones and joints of the feet and lower limbs move and interact. A podiatrist might look at how your weight moves from heel to your forefoot and then how your forefoot pushes forwards to lift your heel off the ground.
Musculoskeletal podiatry (MSK)
MSK podiatry deals with conditions relating to muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones. Treatments might involve looking at your walking or running technique (also known as gait analysis) or foot orthoses.
Vascular podiatry
This is the study of circulation in the feet and lower limbs.
Wound care
Wound care deals with conditions of the foot and lower limb before they become serious and require surgery.
Podiatry for people with diabetes
There are several conditions associated with diabetes including poor circulation and peripheral neuropathy. These can affect your feet quite profoundly, so it’s important to catch any issues early on.
Podiatric dermatology
This involves treating skin and nail conditions, primarily on your feet. As well as callouses and corns, a Podiatrist can provide treatment for verrucae, fungal nail infections and even advise on how to improve the appearance of cracked heels.